'The experience of insecurity, it turned out, would shape one of the most remarkable monarchs in England's history' In the popular imagination, as in her portraits, Elizabeth I is the image of monarchical power. But this image is as much armour as a reflection of the truth. In this illuminating account of England's iconic queen, Helen Castor reveals her reign as shaped by a profound and enduring insecurity that was a matter of both practical politics and personal psychology.
After the famous 'Battle of Nieuwpoort' in West Flanders in 1600, another feat of arms was to follow in the same area: the Siege of Ostend, which lasted from 1601 to 1604. Maurits was, yet again, to play the leading role and, despite the fact that the outcome was less of a success for the young Republic of the Seven United Netherlands than the battle of Nieuwpoort had been, the result was a Spanish conquest of a city of total devastation and, by then, wholly depopulated. Nevertheless a considerable impression had been made upon the Northern Netherlands. The most weird and wonderful machines of war had been tested, whilst a variety of new military siege techniques had been brought into play. There was even talk of 'the University of Ostend', with the implication that, from a military perspective, the siege was a very instructive experience. Many, too, were the rumours and the garbled tales that began to circulate soon after the end of the affair. One example was the legend of the soldier in the Spanish army who appeared to be a woman. In this book, Dr. Simoni provides a detailed and stimulating account of the manner of, and the form by which the tales of these shocking occurrences arose soon after the events of the siege had been set down, and immediately went into print after the details had reached the North. These reports were to leave such a lasting impression in the Republic, that 'Ostend' became one of the most well known feats of arms in the penultimate stages of the struggle for freedom from Spain. The book is, thus, a brilliant example of the received history of one of the most controversial events of the Eighty Years War. The role of the Leiden printer and publisher, Hendrick van Haestens, stands central to 'the Ostend Story'. He provides accounts of the fighting in no less than three publications. Dr. Simoni, in this study, reaches the conclusion that Haestens' reports are deserving of a more important place than they have found thus far. It is mainly to him that we owe the provision of a clear and lively picture of the famous siege.
This seventh volume of Naval Miscellany contains documents which range in date from the late thirteenth century to the Korean War. They illustrate the many different ways in which the naval forces of the crown have served the realm. Topics covered include the role of ships in campaigns against Scotland under Edward I and Edward VI, the protection of the Iceland fishery in the days of the Commonwealth government, and the operation of prize courts during the wars against France in the eighteenth century. Moving on to the nineteenth century, the supply of timber to the Royal Navy is examined, while two contributions deal with surveying off the west coast of Africa and another prints a diary kept by a member of the Naval Brigade operating onshore in the Zulu War. The most recent contributions deal with the origins and development of the Royal Australian Navy up to the 1950s. Two more controversial subjects are also included; the first gives more information about the storage of cordite on battle cruisers in 1916 and the battle of Jutland; the second documents the relief of Admiral North from Gibraltar in 1940. There is something here for every enthusiast for naval history and for all students of the relevant periods.
